Broom apparatus with insert

ABSTRACT

A broom apparatus is described that includes a handle, an insert and a cleaning head. The proximal end portion is a tube defines an aperture that is approximately aligned with axis of the handle. The aperture extends a predetermined distance within the handle. The insert is stored in the proximal end portion of the handle. The insert includes a proximal handle and a distal cleaning head that has a cleaning pouch. The insert is removed for dusting from the proximal end portion of the handle and can be returned and stored in the proximal end portion of the handle thereafter.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application No.11/108,973, hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to brooms, and in particular with brooms thathave an insert as a secondary cleaning device.

2. Description of the Related Art

Brooms typically have an elongate handle and a cleaning head that with aplurality of bristles that are specialized for cleaning floor surfacessuch as concrete, tile or wood. Furniture and fixtures, however, requirea different cleaning device. This creates an awkward situation in whichdifferent cleaning implements are used for different cleaning tasks.

The process of cleaning furniture, fixtures and floors of a home orbusiness is frequently done in a routine sequence. Dusting, for example,is often done initially and the sweeping of the floor is one of the laststeps. Flexibility is needed in this cleaning routine, however, becauseproblems commonly occur during the cleaning process. For example, if adusty spot is noticed during sweeping that was omitted during dusting,the broom has to be set aside and the duster retrieved for dusting. Thisbreak in the cleaning routine is inconvenient, interrupts the sweepingprocess and increases the time and effort for cleaning as different dustspots are observed that require additional cleaning attention.

A broom apparatus is needed that includes a secondary cleaning implementthat can advantageously clean alternate surfaces in addition to normalsweeping operations of the broom apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A broom apparatus is disclosed that comprises an elongate handle, aninsert and a broom head. The elongate handle includes a proximal endportion and a distal end portion that define a central longitudinalaxis. The proximal end portion defines an aperture aligned with thelongitudinal axis. The insert includes a proximal handle and a distalcleaning head that has a cleaning pouch positioned on a frame. The broomhead includes a neck and a base plate. The neck connects to the distalend portion of the handle. A plurality of bristles extend distally fromthe base plate. The broom apparatus has a first position in which theinsert is positioned in the aperture and a second position in which theinsert is removed from the aperture.

The pouch is removable from and positionable on the frame. The handlehas a terminal end portion that has an annular rim that locks the insertin the first position. The pouch is connected to the frame by a lockingmechanism. The locking mechanism includes a slider and a key. The sliderlocks the key in a proximal position on the frame to secure the pouchfor operational use and unlocks the key in distal position to allow forthe removal of the pouch from the frame. The proximal end portion of thehandle includes a flange that is connected to a terminal end of thehandle and the flange is rotatable about the longitudinal axis relativeto the handle. The flange defines a second aperture transverse to thelongitudinal axis.

The insert is returnable to the first position. The frame of the insertis a wire. The wire forms two loops and the distal most loop providesstructural support for the pouch. The frame is flexible. The frame isresilient. The insert is retained in the first position by an insertlocking mechanism independent of the angular position of the broom.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a broom apparatus with insert, thebroom apparatus constructed in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the broom apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a proximal end portion of thebroom apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view of a head of the broom apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the insert of the broom apparatus of FIG. 1that includes a frame and a cleaning pouch;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the insert of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a front view of the insert of the broom apparatus of FIG. 1 ina second position with the cleaning pouch separated from the frame;

FIG. 8 is a side view of a proximal end portion of the insert of FIG. 5that shows steps involved in locking a key with a slider;

FIG. 9 is a front view of the proximal end portion of the insert of thebroom apparatus of FIG. 1 that shows the key in a locked position;

FIG. 10 is a front view of the insert of the broom apparatus of FIG. 1that shows one method of removing the frame from and inserting the frameinto the cleaning pouch of the insert of FIG. 5;

FIG. 11 is a right side view of the proximal end portion of the broomapparatus of FIG. 1 that show the insert aligned with an axis forstoring in the handle; and

FIG. 12 shows one method for positioning the insert of FIG. 11 into theproximal end portion of the handle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Although specific terms are used in the following description for thesake of clarity, these terms are intended to refer only to a particularstructure of the invention selected for illustration in the drawings,and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention.

A broom apparatus 10 in accordance with the present disclosure isdescribed herein below with reference to the drawings and initially inparticular to FIG. 1. The preferred embodiment of the broom apparatus 10includes a handle 12, an insert 14 and a cleaning head 16. Apparatus 10is shown in a first position with insert 14 stored in a proximal endportion 18 of handle 12.

Referring to FIG. 2, the handle 12 in this one preferred embodiment, ismade of a steel alloy and has an elongate cylindrical shape that isapproximately 1400 mm long. It is understood, however, that length,shape and materials of construction of handle 12 can vary with theintended application. Broom handle 12 defines an axis 22. When broom 10is in a plane XY, handle 12 is preferably inclined at an angle ofapproximately 10° from a vertical axis YY. Distal end portion 20 ofhandle 12 is preferably coupled with broom head 16 by a threadedarrangement.

Referring to FIG. 3, proximal end portion 18 includes a terminal end 24and a flange 26. Proximal end portion 18 of handle 12 is a tube thatdefines an aperture 28 that is approximately aligned with axis 22 of thehandle 12. Aperture 28 extends a predetermined distance distally fromterminal end 24 within handle 12.

Flange 26 extends in the distal direction beyond the terminal end 24 ofhandle 12 and defines a through hole 30. The terminal end 24 of handle12 has an annular rim or projection 32 that is preferably approximatelynormal to axis 22. Terminal end 24 also defines an opposed pair ofgrooves 34 that are approximately aligned with axis 22.

Referring to FIG. 4, the broom head 16 includes a neck 36 that definesan aperture. Interior wall of the tubular neck 36 is removably coupledwith distal end portion 20 of the broom handle 12 by standard threads38. Head 16 is preferably constructed such that attachment of the distalend portion 20 with the head 16 is offset from the centre of the head16. The head 16 can be made of moldable thermoplastic such aspolystyrene, polythene, polypropylene, polycarbonate or other suitablematerial. A plurality of bristles 40 are retained by a base plate 42 ofthe head 16. Bristles 40 extend distally and preferably flare out attheir ends.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, insert 14 is in a second position separatedfrom handle 12. Insert 14 includes a proximal handle 44 and a distalcleaning head 46. The proximal handle 44 preferably includes a circularindentation or channel 48. The proximal handle 44 of insert 14 also hasa through hole 50. Insert 14 can be grasped by curling fingers aroundhandle 44 in a traditional manner or by grasping the terminal end ofhandle 44 through hole 50. The cleaning head has a cleaning pouch 52positioned on an elongate frame 54. The pouch 52 is preferably made ofsmooth and dense micro-fibers having approximately 5 mm length. Frame 54can be constructed for repeated washing and reuse or as a consumablecomponent of insert 14.

Referring to FIG. 7, frame 54 is separable from pouch 52. Frame 54 is astructure that provides a desired shape for pouch 52. In this onepreferred embodiment, frame 54 is a flexible wire that includes a firstloop 56 and a second loop 58 in a single plane. Frame 54 is preferablyresilient and biased to the first position as shown. Frame 54 can bemade of metal, polymer, composite, cellulose or other materialsdepending upon the desired characteristics for cleaning. Cleaning pouch52 is preferably removed from frame 54 by the sliding of pouch 52relative to loop 58.

A connector securely attaches pouch 52 to frame 54. In this onepreferred embodiment the connector includes a thread 60, a key 62 and aslider 64. It is understood that this is just one example of amechanical connector that can include for example a snap fitting, clasp,cotter pin as well as hook and eye. The connector retains the pouch 52on the frame 54 against cleaning forces and other possible forces fromall sides. The slider 64 is moved proximally and distally along the loop58 to lock key 62 in a proximal position and unlock key 62 in a distalposition.

Now referring to FIG. 8, in this preferred embodiment, one end of thethread 60 is connected to opening of the pouch 52 and the opposing endof the thread 60 is connected to the key 62. Initially slider 64 is in adistal position and key 62 is free along with thread 60. To lock thepouch 52 on the frame 54, key 62 is passed through the gap between twoparallel wires of the first loop 56 from a first side to an oppositeside of the loop 56 as indicated by the steps numbered 1 to 4. Steps 1and 4 are the initial and final positions, respectively, of theconnector. The arrows show one preferred path of motion of the key 62from the first side to the other side. The upward arrows show adirection of movement of slider 64 to the proximal position to lock thekey 62.

Referring to FIG. 9, slider 64 is pushed up to the proximal position tolock the key 62 in position. Key 62 retains pouch 52 in position on loop56. Pouch 52 is removed from loop 56 pushing the slider 64 to the distalposition. The key 62 can then pass through the wires of the first loop56. Key 62 is made of a material such as a polymer, metal, ceramic orcomposite that has sufficient strength to securely retain its positionwhen connected to loop 56.

Referring to FIG. 10, one preferred method for the removal and insertionof frame 54 with pouch 52 is shown. In order to separate the pouch 52from the frame 54, slider 64 on loop 56 is pushed to the distalposition. The key 62 on other side of the loop 56 is taken out throughthe two approximately parallel wires of the loop 56. Then the key 62 isdetached from loop 56 to make the pouch 52 free to slide distally. Nowthe frame 54 is movable relative to cleaning pouch 52. An upward arrowshows direction of removal of the frame 54 from the pouch 52 and adownward arrow shows the direction of insertion of the frame 54 insidethe pouch 52.

As shown in FIG. 11, proximal end portion 18 of handle 12 and insert 14are approximately aligned with axis 22 for positioning insert 14 insideproximal end portion 18. In this one preferred embodiment, insert 14 isabout one-third the length of handle 12. Aperture 28 has a diameter anddepth for receiving insert 14. Arrow shows the direction of insertion ofinsert 14 into handle 12.

Referring now to FIG. 12, one method for positioning insert 14 intoproximal end portion 18 of handle 12 is shown. The insert 14 is pushedinto the aperture 28 of proximal end portion 18 through flange 26 alongaxis 22 in a direction as shown by a downward arrow. In this onepreferred embodiment, as insert 14 is inserted into proximal end portion18, indentation 48 slidingly crosses the annular projection 32 of theterminal end 24 with a locking mechanism. The locking mechanism ispreferably a snap fit arrangement that retains insert 14 in position inhandle 12 independent of the position of broom apparatus 10.

The flange 26 can be used to advantageously guide insert 14 inside theproximal end portion 18. When insert 14 is securely positioned inaperture 28 along the axis 22 of handle 12, hole 30 in the flange 26 isapproximately aligned with the through hole 50 in the insert 14. Theinsert 14 can be removed from the handle 12 by reversing the abovemethod.

As shown in FIGS. 1-12, the broom apparatus 10 in operation isadvantageously used for cleaning floors and for specialized cleaning,such as dusting, using the insert 14. The aperture 28 in the handle 12conveniently stores the insert 14. Flange 26 acts as a guide whilestoring the insert 14 in the proximal end portion 18 of the handle 12.Annular projection 32 locks insert 14 in the first position and retainsinsert 14 in position independent of the angular position of broom 10.Grooves 32 advantageously allow the expansion and contraction of theterminal end 24 to position and remove insert 14 in the proximal endportion 18 of the handle 12. The provision of insert 14 in the broomapparatus 10, offers a user two separate but integrated devices forcleaning floor surfaces as well as dusting and/or cleaning items such asblinds and furniture.

The novel advantage of the broom apparatus 10 is that a user may employthe broom head 16 for cleaning and selectively use insert 14 fordusting. For example, a user who is involved in sweeping floor comes toa window of an adjoining wall. Instead of bringing another cleaningdevice to clean the window blinds the user can remove the duster insert14 and clean up the blinds during the sweeping of the floor withoutretrieving another cleaning implement. After dusting window blinds, theinsert 14 is returned to aperture 28 of handle 12 and the user cancontinue with cleaning of the floor without any significantinterruption.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of thepreferred embodiment above, numerous modifications and/or additions tothe above-described preferred embodiments would be readily apparent toone skilled in the art. It is intended that the scope of presentinvention extends to all such modifications and/or additions and thatthe scope of present invention is limited by the claims set forth below.

1. A broom apparatus that comprises: an elongate handle that includes aproximal end portion and a distal end portion that define a centrallongitudinal axis, the proximal end portion defines an aperture alignedwith the longitudinal axis; an insert that includes a proximal handleand a distal cleaning head, the cleaning head has a cleaning pouchpositioned on a frame; a broom head that includes a neck and a baseplate, the neck connects to the distal end portion of the handle, aplurality of bristles extends distally from the base plate; a firstposition in which the insert is positioned in the aperture; and a secondposition in which the insert is removed from the aperture for use as aseparate dusting device.
 2. The broom apparatus of claim 1, wherein thepouch is removable from the frame.
 3. The broom apparatus of claim 1,wherein the handle has a terminal end portion that has an annular rimthat locks the insert in the first position.
 4. The broom apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the pouch is connected to the frame by a lockingmechanism.
 5. The broom apparatus of claim 4, wherein the lockingmechanism includes a slider and a key.
 6. The broom apparatus of claim5, wherein the slider locks the key in a proximal position on the frameto secure the pouch on the frame and unlocks the key in distal positionto allow for the removal of the pouch from the frame.
 7. The broomapparatus of claim 1, wherein the proximal end portion of the handleincludes a flange that is connected to a terminal end of the handle, theflange being rotatable about the longitudinal axis relative to thehandle.
 8. The broom apparatus of claim 7, wherein the flange defines asecond aperture transverse to the longitudinal axis.
 9. The broomapparatus of claim 1, wherein the insert is returned to the firstposition.
 10. The broom apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frame of theinsert is a wire.
 11. The broom apparatus of claim 10, wherein the wireforms two loops and the distal most loop provides structural support forthe pouch.
 12. The broom apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frame isflexible.
 13. The broom apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frame isresilient.
 14. The broom apparatus of claim 1, wherein an insert lockingmechanism retains the insert in the first position independent of theangular position of the broom.